I am thrilled and scared to death at the same time. I’m afraid of exposing myself through my writing, and I’m afraid of revealing myself as a bad writer.

I have stepped outside my comfort zone. There’s no going back.

It’s one thing to write something that I don’t like and that no one else sees, and quite another to write something others will read and critique. I risk blowing my self-image as a knowledgeable writer and teacher of writing.

Nevertheless, there’s nowhere else to go but forward.

I don’t think anyone who writes will disagree that sharing writing is scary. So, instead of making my writing public, I read about writing. Although this is important, the act of writing and sharing that writing is infinitely more important. And, in order to do this I need to establish a daily writing routine.

Now that I’ve come clean and made my fear public, I can own it, confront it, and let it go.

I initiated this writing group to become a better writer. From all the reading I’ve done (it hasn’t been wasted), I know the most effective way to do this is to write every day and take risks by sharing my writing with others. But I get caught up in my fears and stop short by only doing writing exercises even though I know this is not enough. Or, I end up doing a lot of freewriting that goes nowhere.

I know I need to work hard at writing if I’m going to get better. (Isn’t this what I tell my students?) I know that I need to write a lot of bad stuff in order to get to something worthwhile. (My students have heard me say this a dozen times.) So, I’m hoping that this writing group will lift me up and help me soar.

I will be blogging about this journey from time to time. I hope you’ll join me.

And, you can read the blogs of my writing group partners here and here.

It offers a word a day for a one-minute quick write online. There is a built-in timer that tells you when your one minute is up. However, I have started using it as a 10-minute writing exercise for my grade 6 and 7 students, and I have been writing right along with them. Sometimes I will give them a bit of guidance and sometimes I will simply post the word for them to explore through writing. For example, the other day I suggested they think of our conversations on metaphor to see if they could approach the word of the day as a metaphor. On another day, I suggested they think of personal narrative as they wrote. Most of the time, however, I simply let them write.

Once a week, I will start posting my own selected one-word-ten-minute writing exercises here. Would love comments on these pieces. Thank you!

One word for March 16th, 2015 – Grandfather

I miss my grandfather.

Not my paternal grandfather but my mother’s father. He has been gone for 48 years now and I still miss him.

When I was younger I used to think that he was in heaven watching over me. It has been a long time since I’ve thought about that. Is it because so many things have happened where I felt less than protected? Lonely?

Like right now.

I am in despair. I spent almost all day yesterday planning my classes and it feels like nothing is going well.

Is it the energy in the room?

I need to open the shades, turn off the lights, and open the door.

For some reason, these 10-minute writing exercises on a random word facilitate the development of important ideas regardless of the word that triggers the writing. In 10 minutes I can discover a nagging idea, take action, find solace, and uncover thoughts that have been lying dormant. Love this!

After six author visits to our classroom, five of them via @SkypeClassroom, I am more convinced than ever of the immeasurable value these conversations bring to students.

Listening to authors describe their writing process is priceless.

The writing tips and experiences of published writers mean a lot more to my students than anything I could offer them simply because they see me through the lens of “teacher” and not as a writer; this is my own doing. So, I need to share my writing process with my students, including samples of my writing, and my successes and failures. I need to find a way to help students understand that writers are not only those of us who get published.

#weareallwriters

We have similar experiences of insecurity when it comes to writing: everything to be said has already been written. Yet, there are moments when writing allows us to discover what’s important about our lives. And, only a daily writing habit will help us get there.

I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve tried to establish a daily writing habit numerous times in the past without success. I get excited by the latest writing challenge so I sign up right away. I get off to a good start and then…life interrupts. I miss a day and then guilt sets in. So, why would I be participating in the Slice of Life (SOL) March Challenge? Given my previous track record, it would be safe to bet that I will not complete the 31 days of consecutive posts. Add to that the fact that I will be at a conference for five days early in March, and you’ve got a recipe made for failure. But, those are the elements that make challenges more exciting, right?

During last year’s March SOL Challenge, I wrote for 30/31 days. Of course, some posts were better than others and some were written on the fly in order to fulfill the daily writing quota. Nevertheless, I will keep trying to reach that as yet elusive goal to make writing a daily ritual. Maybe being at a conference will give me some writing material. New places, new people, new experiences are always great opportunities for slicing.

So, here’s to 31 joyful days to towards a daily writing habit. I’m looking forward to reading others’ slices throughout this month and to celebrating together at the end.